


These Are Ties That Bind

by foggyglitter



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, the catra redemption arc we deserve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foggyglitter/pseuds/foggyglitter
Summary: It's been a month since Catra's loss at Bright Moon, and she's anxious for another chance to take Adora down. Entrapta has finally come up with a plan to do just that. Too bad it backfires spectacularly, and now Catra and Adora can't stop feeling each other's pain.Both physical and emotional.(Takes place between season 1 and 2)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fanfic in like two years but I'm currently watching She-Ra for the second time and I DESPERATELY NEED A CATRA REDEMPTION ARC so here it is. I am trying for a good mix of fluff and angst but also I would die for this ship so expect a lot of the former later on. Enjoy!

The sky was always dark over the Fright Zone, but today it seemed especially bleak. Catra stared into the endless smog that permeated every inch of the horde’s domain. Soon it would encompass all of Etheria, but first the irritated captain would need a new plan to take down the princesses. It had been nearly a month since their defeat at Bright Moon, and though she had gotten closer than ever it was clear that new strategies were necessary. She glared at a billow of smoke coming from a nearby building. It glided up through the air until it disappeared among the thick layer of smog. The roof she’d escaped to was a familiar spot for Catra. It had always been a good place to get away, to think, or to hide from Shadow Weaver. She let out a callous chuckle: Shadow Weaver would be the one hiding from her now, with her new title as Hordak’s second in command. She had come quite a long way, and like the smoke plumes, she’d continue to rise through the air and become one with the atmosphere until no one on the planet could escape her shadow. But first, those petulant princesses had to fall, her former friend especially.

She-Ra was a factor no one in the Horde anticipated, and Catra did not want to be surprised again. Every fight with her was invigorating and almost inspiring, and each face-off Catra learned more about the fabled princess. Her fighting style, her stamina, and most importantly her weaknesses. She knew how She-Ra, and specifically, Adora thought and what she valued. She used to know her much better, but the princess was full of surprises these days. Even with She-Ra’s strength, the princesses were surviving by the skin of their teeth, whenever Catra was certain she had victory in her grasp, their golden trump card pulled a new trick from her sleeve and snatched it away. That, unfortunately, was something about Adora that hadn’t changed. But despite their failure at Bright Moon, Catra remained confident. She-Ra was powerful, incredibly so, but Adora hadn’t reached an nth of her potential. For now, the former friends were evenly matched. Catra just had to hope Adora remained slow to master her new magic. She hated hoping.

 She also hated waiting, which is what she found herself doing at the moment. Entrapta had been tinkering away on some new plan since the battle. She explained the details but the techno jargon flew straight over Catra’s and Scorpia’s heads. “I need a little more time,” is the only bit Catra understood. Time was a luxury they didn’t have. They had wasted enough already, rebuilding weapons, gathering their remains forces, going over strategies. Every second that passed she knew was more time for those sparkly demons to regroup, to plan, and to learn more about She-Ra. Hordak knew this all too well; Catra could sense his growing impatience during their strategy meetings. But she feared rushing Entrapta more lest she brake her, so she gave her one more day. Truth be told, Catra needed a day. A day to work through it all before she exploded with frustration. Adora was finally gone, and Catra was at last getting the praise she deserved. So why was it weighing on her mind so? When would she stop competing with her?

“Catra!” a voice called from below. “Best friend!” She looked over the edge of the roof to see Scorpia looking around.

With a shake of her head Catra put thoughts of Adora from her mind and leapt down from to the roof to the balcony below, apparently giving her fellow force captain a scare.

“Ah!” She jumped backwards and readied her claws for battle. “Oh, there you are,” Scorpia said, relaxing her muscles.

 “Yep, here I am. What is it?”

 Scorpia cocked her head to the side. “What is what?”

 Catra put her hand to her face and groaned. “What do you need me for?”

 “Oh! Right. Entrapta has news.”

 "Finally.” She released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

 “Yep! Well, she says it’s not the big thing, but just a smaller thing to tide you over until the bigger thing is ready.”

 Catra blinked slowly. “What?”

 Scorpia opened the door. “Let’s just go she can explain better.”

 Somehow, Catra though that unlikely. “Alright.”

 Five new screens had found their way into Entrapta’s lab. They lined the walls and stood beside the black garnet, which stayed in the room’s center despite its currently defunct state. Wires and panels with colorful buttons were scattered about the space in a manner Catra could only describe as chaotic. But Entrapta moved through the room skillfully without tripping over a single chord. Her pigtails typed furiously at the various keypads around her as her hands tinkered with a small object. It was a scrambled mess, but Shadow Weaver would never set foot in it the room again, and that was good enough for Catra.

 “Ehem,” Catra said as they entered the room. “Hello?” she said again when no response came from the busy inventor. “Entrapta!”

 Entrapta jumped at the sound as a pigtail pressed a button. In an instant flashing red lights filled the room and a siren blared in Catra’s ears. A robotic voice came over the speakers: “Initiating countdown. Ten. Nine. Eight…”

 “Oops!” Entrapta’s pigtails clicked a few keys and the room returned to normal. “At least I know my automated weapons system works.” She turned and smiled at the captains. “I was planning on testing them anyways.” She walked over to them, carefully navigating the mess, and pulled out her recorder. “Excellent response time on the alarms, but the siren volume should increase at least three—no four—decimals.”

 “What in the world was that?” Catra demanded. “I bet the whole Fright zone heard it!”

 “What!” Scorpia shouted, rubbing a claw on her ear. “I can’t hear you!”

 Catra rolled her eyes and shot them both annoyed glares. “I said, ‘what was that noise?’”

 “Apologies. Was not intending to start testing the alert system today, it was an accident.” Entrapta clicked a button on her recorder at put it in her pocket.

 “Alert system?” Catra suppressed the need to scratch through the wall.

 “Yes, the system that alerts the compound to the launching of our automated weapons.”

 “You almost launched all our weapons? Why would you do that?”

 “As I said, it was an accident. I wasn’t planning on actually doing it until tomorrow at the latest. Everything in Dryl was automated but some of the systems the Horde is using are decades out of date. Don’t get me started on the shoddy wiring and the absolute failure that is your adaptive A.I. and the—”

“Entrapta, please stop talking.” Catra forced her claws to retract from their extended length. “Just tell me what you’ve come up with to stop the princesses.”

“Right. Stop the princesses!” Scorpia shouted. “Is it normal to hear ringing in your ears?”

“Oh, of course! You’re going to love it!” She hurried back to her monitors. “Come see.”

“I’m going to love ringing in my ears?” Scorpia mumbled under her breath.

As the two slowly maneuvered their way through the mess of technology, Entrapta brought an image of She-Ra up on the screen. “As I told Scorpia, I need more time on the bigger thing but I did make this smaller thing to tide you over until the bigger thing is ready. I’m still working on the how to regain access to the black garnet so we can discover more effects of the runestones on Etheria’s environmental systems, but in the meantime, I learned more about She-Ra’s sword and how to interfere with the delicate hardware encapsulating—” She stopped herself when she caught site of Scorpia and Catra’s dull looks. “I know how to mess with the pointy thingy she carries. So,” she lifted herself on her hair to a monitor high up on the wall, “this is She-Ra’s sword.” An image of the sword appeared as she spoke. “Are you two following?”

Catra detangled her foot from some wires. “Get on with it.”

“Just making sure. This sword has a shiny blue stone in the center.” Catra and Scorpia nodded. “It’s a runestone. It’s where She-Ra draws her magical powers.” Her hair lowered her to the next screen which lit up with an image of the sword with the stone red and corrupted. “Back when I first met She-Ra, the stone became infected with a virus caused by First Ones tech. This not only rendered Adora incapable of becoming the She-Ra, but also made Adora herself, in laymen’s terms, wonky.”

“Wonky?” Catra questioned.

"Yes, she was completely out of commission. She couldn’t even fight!”

A grin spread across Catra’s face. “So, if you fiddle with her runestone, you could make that happen again.”

“Yes! Well, theoretically. I wondered if the effect could be recreated. See, the original artifact that did this to the runestone was destroyed. If I had tech like that again, I could certainly whip up a device capable of rendering a runestone defective. Not a large one like the one in Bright Moon, but a small one like She-Ra’s would be a perfect candidate.”

Catra’s smile dropped. “So, you want me to go find more First One’s junk?”

“Sounds like it,” Scorpia said.

“No.”

“Or not,” Scorpia shrugged her shoulders.

Entrapta smiled widely as she moved to the next screen. A triangular piece of technology Catra didn’t recognize appeared on the monitor. “It just so happens I salvaged that artifact. And it also so happens that I made that very device!” She dropped to her feet and held an object out to Catra. It was a belt with the tech in the center, and it appeared to have been welded together. “Surprise!”

Catra eyed the belt suspiciously before taking it. “This thing is gonna help me defeat Adora?”

“Yes.” Entrapta beamed.

“By making her all wonky?”

“Exactly. Just find a way to get near her. Try to get as close as possible. I haven’t gotten a chance to test the device yet so I’m not sure of the range, but due to the damage the artifact sustained the signal might be weak. If you can manage skin to skin contact, that would be perfect. When you’re ready, press this button to switch it on and boom. Wonky. After that it’s up to you to figure out.”

"Oh, don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”

“But how are you going to get that close without drawing the attention of the other princesses?” Scorpia sighed. “It’s not like I’m getting invited to any more proms.”

Catra fastened the belt around her waist and smirked at Scorpia. A devious glint flashed in her eyes. “She’ll come to me.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the nice comments on the first chapter! enjoy chapter two and tell me what you think.

Moonlight never dulled the Whispering Woods. If anything, it heightened the wonder. The brightly colored foliage softly glowed in the dim light, and even the wind carried the shine. Everywhere you looked the air held a slight shimmer, bathing the forest in a magical borealis. Purples, pinks, and blues abounded, and the thick tree line seemed to have neither beginning nor end. A bright barricade of magic, light, and mystery. Impenetrable.

It had at least, seemed that way before the Horde finally conquered it. As Catra reflected on her unprecedented yet brief victory, she felt a shiver run down her spine. Though the forest looked from afar to be healed, a closer inspection revealed evidence of their battle. The Rebellion hadn’t finished cleaning up. She had to watch her step to avoid the fallen trees scattered about the once dense wood, and the trees still standing were stripped of their foliage. Several destroyed Horde skiffs and tanks scattered around the otherwise pristine forest floor gave her a boost of confidence. These pieces of debris weren’t moving any time soon. A twisted tangle of vines was growing around the various bits of wreckage, and her confidence grew further. It comforted her to see the forest itself latching onto the Horde. Despite the Rebellion’s best efforts, the battle etched scars into this forest that would never heal. She had done that. She had conquered the Woods and left her mark. And if Queen Angella decided to remove it, she’d damage her precious forest in the process.

A quick leap took Catra to her favorite tactical position: the high ground. She swiftly moved through the tree tops, looking and listening for her prey. A final leap brought her to her target, the First One’s building that she’d chased Adora into a month prior. Though the beacon that once guided her there was missing, it was still easy to find. The lack bushes and tree leaves in her way made the towering stone ruin much easier to spot. She gave a careful look around but saw no one. A small sigh escaped her. More waiting.

The still silence of the forest worried Catra more than it should’ve. It was an eerie, empty quiet devoid of the formerly ever-present sounds of critters crawling across through the woods. She briefly wondered where they’d all gone before remembering the blizzard she and Entrapta had wrought upon the place. Those critters met an icy grave, and the forest sat silent in respect. But dead bugs were the least of Catra’s worries. Thankfully, the sound of footsteps broke the heavy silence. Her ears twitched at the sound: two—no—three people a few yards away. She stalked further along the tree line and heard them stop. Someone whispered, but she couldn’t make out what, and the footsteps continued. Now it was just one person walking. A wide smile lit Catra’s face, her incisors glowing in the moonlight. She peeked beneath the tree leaves to see Adora with that gaudy sword glued to her back as always. She was alone, looking around the ruin. Catra took a deep breath and scanned the trees for the perfect spot to descend. But before she could place her foot on the branch, Adora turned towards the ruin’s entrance. She regarded it suspiciously before running inside. Catra contemplated following, but her last experience there held her back. She wouldn’t enter that terrible place unless she absolutely had to. Luckily, Entrapta hadn’t asked for more First One’s junk. So Catra made herself comfortable on a tree branch and watched the entrance, waiting for Adora’s return. She could hear the other two people, presumably Adora’s annoying friends, whispering somewhere below her. She could only make out a few words. “Is... okay?” was all she heard from one of them. The other’s response ended in the word “signal.” Catra sneered. She’d expected Adora to bring backup, but she had held out a small hope that they’d be alone. Catra considered jumping down and taking them both on right now just to pass the time, but then the plan would be ruined. She had to be patient. She had to, for the third time today, wait.

After what felt like years, her target emerged from the ruin. Catra had no idea what on Etheria she’d done in there, but she wouldn’t waste time theorizing. In one swift motion, she dropped to the branch beneath her and swung down to surprise Adora from behind. Shockingly, Adora was not on her toes. She appeared slightly dazed and didn’t notice Catra’s appearance.

“Hey, Adora.”

That got her attention. Adora’s hand went to her sword as she turned. “Catra.” Her hand relaxed at her side.

Now face to face, Catra noticed the look in her rival’s eyes. She had expected anger, resentment, perhaps even fear; but all she saw behind Adora’s irises were concern. She hated it. Adora always worried of her like a frantic parent. Even now, when Catra had given her every reason to abandon that anguish. “Miss me?”

Adora’s brows furrowed. “Catra, what is this about?”

“Didn’t you get my letter?”

“Yes. And I’d appreciate you not sending anymore Horde spies to Bright Moon.”

“How else was I supposed to contact you? Hop on a skiff and pay you a visit?”

Adora rolled her eyes. “Whatever, just. Explain.”

“Explain what? Haven’t I explained enough?”

“No, Catra! You haven’t. You screw with the weather to defeat me and my friends. You attack me several times. You reject every one of my attempts to reach out. And now, what? You’re good now?”

Catra was impressed by such a succinct list of her feats, but she resisted the urge to smirk. It was time to test her acting chops. “Look, Adora. I fucked up. Big time.” She gazed at the ground and let her tail hang in defeat. “I wanted power, and I didn’t care who I had to hurt to get it. There’s no excuse for the terrible things I did to you and your friends. I just wanted to be like you: powerful. I guess that was a lost cause.” The next words were heavy in her chest. “Shadow Weaver was right; I’m a disappointment.”

Glassy eyes stared back at Catra. She wasn’t surprised Adora was buying her performance; she’d always been a sucker for self-pity and sob stories. “So, just like that, you’ve changed. You saw the error in your ways, and you’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. That easily?”

“Well, there’s that whole ‘Hordak is pissed because I kinda got in a fight with Shadow Weaver and he may have found out I let you go’ thing. That might’ve had something to do with it.”

“Of course. Always an ulterior motive. So, you want the Rebellion to shelter you while you play the victim?” She sighed. “Did he hurt you?”

“What?”

“Hordak. When he found out you let me go. Did he do anything to you?” The way her blue eyes captured the moonlight and her voice quivered as she spoke almost made Catra forget her mission. Almost.

“Oh. Well, I was gone by the time he found out. Once Shadow Weaver dragged it out of me, I knew it was only a matter of time before he knew. I sent the message and ran.”

“Shadow Weaver used her powers on you?”

“Yeah.”

The heavy silence returned for a moment as Adora searched for something to say. “I’m sorry.”

Catra felt the unpleasant sensation of tears welling up in her own eyes, but one glance at the sparkling runestone in She-Ra’s sword pushed them back. “Forget it. It’s in the past now. Look, your little rebellion doesn’t have to accept me. You don’t even have to accept me. I just wanted—needed to tell you that I’m starting to get why you left. And maybe if you can stomach the sight of me,” she reached out one hand, her other resting on her waist, “we can try starting over?”

The tear drop that fell from Adora’s eye told Catra more than words ever could. It was almost sad, how easy this was going to be. Their hands met and without hesitation, Catra pressed the button on her belt. The blue shine of the runestone was swallowed by a deep, corrupting red, and Catra grinned from ear to ear. Adora gasped and grabbed at her sword then collapsed into Catra’s arms. Looking down at the unconscious prey finally in her grasp, Catra hesitated. She looked at Adora’s limp body and then at the sword on her back and froze. Hordak would want a prisoner to interrogate, she told herself. Who would know more about the Rebellion’s plans than their fallen savior? Swinging her prey over her shoulder, Catra disappeared into the trees.

Adora was heavier than Catra expected. All those years of training and building muscle had not gone to waste. However, she was determined to not let anything spoil her victory, not even the ache in her thighs as she moved forward. Once she’d gotten far enough from the ruin that she was sure Adora’s backup wouldn’t catch her, she stopped to rest against a tree. She gazed at her still unconscious prisoner as she rested. The last time Catra found herself resting next to a sleeping Adora was the night she left her for the Rebellion. It wasn’t a pleasant memory. As it crept up into the forefront of her mind, something shocked her out of it. At her feet, Adora stirred until her eyes opened. She looked around in a daze before zeroing in on Catra. Instinctively, her claws lengthened, but relaxed when she realized a fight would not be coming. Adora’s confused gaze melted into something she hadn’t given Catra in a long time: admiration. Soon, she was smiling and creeping closer. Catra backed against the tree with eyes trained on the blood red runestone. Hopefully, Entrapta was right about the device.

Adora pulled herself up to her knees and stared wide-eyed at Catra. “Pretty kitty,” she said with a smile. She reached a hand out for Catra’s hair, but she swiped the hand away. “Bad kitty.” Adora cradled her wrist and pouted.

Yep. She was wonky all right. As Catra stared back at Adora, she felt a pain in her wrist. Further examination revealed a fresh scratch across her skin. Perhaps she’d rubbed against some particularly rough tree bark, she thought. Adora was still looking at her but no longer grinning. Instead, she was also examining Catra’s wrist.

“You’re hurt,” she said.

“It’s nothing.” Catra scooted away from her wonky foe and stood to her feet. “Come on, we need to keep going.”

“Are we going on an adventure?”

“Uh... sure.”

“Cool!” Adora stood up and collapsed to the ground once more.

A groan escaped Catra as she hauled her prisoner over her shoulder and continued into the Woods. After walking a few feet, she grew tired and distracted by a pain erupting from her back. She couldn’t determine a cause for it. There hadn’t been a fight, and she hadn’t fallen from anywhere. She giggled at the thought of falling from a tree when she meant to catch someone by surprise. It would be funny, she thought, to get all prepared for something only to— wait, why was she laughing? It was vital to remain silent until she reentered the Fright Zone. She was still in princess territory. And with Adora’s posse mulling around the woods— she let out another laugh. “Posse” was a funny word. Her eyes glazed over when she finally lost the energy to continue walking. Just a small break, and then she’d continue her mission. What was that mission again? Suddenly whatever it was didn’t seem so important. Before she knew it, she fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adora roll to her side, giggling. It seemed like a great idea for her to join in. When their laughter tapered off, Adora looked down at her own wrist.

“You scratched me.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Why?”

“You tried to pet me. You know I hate being pet.”

“Do I know that? Who are you?”

“Catra, you know, the bad guy.”

Adora jumped as she gasped. “Bad guy! I must vanquish you!” She reached for her sword. “By the power of... For the horror of... With the strength of...” Then her rambles became light snoring.

Almost asleep herself, Catra began getting comfortable on the ground. She tossed a bit before rolling over on her stomach, when suddenly, she wasn’t sleepy anymore. Neither it seemed, was Adora who sat up and yawned before locking eyes with Catra. She delivered a sharp jab to Catra’s throat before jumping to her feet.

“What did you— ow!—do to me?” She rubbed her neck and pulled her sword from her back. The runestone returned to its piercing blue.

“Shit.” Catra went for the button again, but Adora stopped her with the point of her blade.

“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.” Her eyes were full of anger as she thrust her sword to the night sky. “For the honor of Grayskull!”

Catra had two options: run back to the Horde and live to fight another day or face She-Ra and whatever backup that was surely on its way. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any time to decide. Glimmer and Bow materialized in a cloud of glitter a split second later, magic and arrows at the ready. Catra took a fighting stance and searched for an exit. Facing two princesses and a master archer hadn’t been in tonight’s game plan.

Bow fired an arrow that she narrowly dodged as Glimmer shot a barrage of sparkles. And while she was preoccupied dodging, She-Ra ran at her. After ducking out of the charge, Catra managed a slash across the princess’s left leg. But when she ran away, her own left leg was hit with searing pain. Catra tumbled to the ground. A blast of magic hit her directly in the stomach as she fell, leaving Bow plenty of time to ready an arrow and aim it at her. Glimmer joined him in staring Catra down, but She-Ra did not. She had fallen as well, clutching her stomach.

“It’s not your lucky day, Catra,” Glimmer snapped.

“Yeah! It’s actually very unlucky,” Bow added.

“You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!” Glimmer produced sparkles in both hands and waved them in Catra’s direction.

“Wait!” Adora shouted. She dropped her She-Ra form. Standing slowly to her feet, she stumbled over to her friends. “Don’t hurt her.”

“She just tried to kill you!” Glimmer’s balls of magic flared as she spoke.

Bow looked down at Catra, his bow still trained on her. “Also, I think we kind of already hurt her.”

“I know. You hurt me too.” She kneeled in front of Catra. “Tell me if you feel this.”

“Feel wha—” Catra felt a sharp sting on her cheek as Adora slapped her own face. “What the hell?”

“Um, Adora, why are you hitting yourself?” Bow asked.

“To prove a point. We’re linked somehow. We’re feeling each other’s pain.”

Glimmer glared at Adora. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Unfortunately, no. You can’t hurt her, or you’ll hurt me too.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you’re both just really empathetic,” Bow said, lowering his weapon.

Glimmer dropped one of her magic balls. “You think a Horde captain is empathetic?”

Bow shrugged. “Adora was.”

“Thanks, Bow.”

Catra rolled her eyes. “As much as I adore this cute mushy moment, I think Adora’s right.” She grimaced; those words didn’t feel right coming out of her mouth, at least not when she was telling the truth. “I think I’ve been feeling whatever she feels since I captured her.”

Adora’s eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to speak, but Glimmer interrupted her. “Well, can you feel how angry she is right now? Can you feel the weight of your betrayal!” The sphere of sparkles was back in her other hand.

Adora placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Glimmer, please. We can talk it out later; right now, let’s just restrain her and get somewhere safe.”

“We can take her back to Bright Moon. The last time you snuck a Horde soldier into the palace it turned out great!” Bow put his weapon away and pulled a spool of rope from his quiver.

“Yeah, something’s telling me I won’t be as lucky with this one.” Glimmer took the rope and began tying Catra’s wrist together, eliciting a hiss.

“Hey, not too tight.” Adora rubbed her wrists.

Glimmer paused and raised an eyebrow at Catra’s belt. “Umm, what’s this?”

“It looks like First One’s tech,” Bow knelt next to Glimmer as she began removing the belt.

“Hey, hey don’t get handsy,” Catra snarled with a fruitless attempt to swat Glimmer’s hands away.

Adora took the belt from Glimmer, and a brief look of recognition flashed in her eyes. “I feel like I’ve seen this before. Where did you get this?”

“Questions, questions, questions. Too bad I don’t have any answers.”

Glimmer yanked their captive to her feet and pushed her forward. “We can figure it out later. C’mon, if we hurry, we can get to the castle before Mom wakes up.”

Catra took a begrudging step forward as Bow led them towards Bright Moon. Glimmer and Adora brought up the rear, whispering secrets Catra couldn’t parse. She ran over escape plans in her mind, but each one ended in Adora spraining her own ankles, and Catra tumbling to the ground. Besides that, she dreaded Entrapta’s reaction to her losing the artifact. She imagined it would involve the Horde’s newly automated defense system. With a huff, she succumbed to her fate as a prisoner, at least for the night, and the group shuffled through the forest under the guiding moonlight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo chapter 3! this update took a little longer than i wanted it too, but school's been super busy. anyway, enjoy and as always, tell me what you think!

Bright Moon lived up to its name. When Catra had visited the garishly colored place a month ago, it was shrouded in a grey cloud of despair. Even now, it wasn’t at its peak; there were very obvious patches of trees missing around the castle and hunks of stone piled on the side of the grand bridge. Despite this, the blinding light and ever-present pink hues shadowed the palace and the area around it in a wash of color that was impossible to ignore. The Princess Alliance was resilient; Catra could at least give them that.

“We’ll take her in through the window,” Glimmer whispered to the group with a gesture to a high window on the castle.

“You shouldn’t teleport us all at once, just to be careful,” Bow warned. Glimmer looked to him then to Catra and back to Bow, glaring. “C’mon, we shouldn’t risk it.”

Glimmer sighed reluctantly and nodded at him. “Fine. I’ll take you, then Adora and this one.”

“I have a name you know,” Catra said with little attempt at a whisper.

The princess did not look back at her. “I know.” She took Bow’s hand and vanished.

“So,” Catra kicked a rock away, “is your sparkly friend broken or something?”

Adora stopped the rock with her foot. “No. Why would you ask that?” She kicked the rock in the opposite direction.

“’Cause your pal with the arrows seemed pretty worried about her.” She sent the rock rolling back.

“She’s fine. Not that you care.” Adora kicked the rock into the woods.

A flash of glitter appeared between the two of them as Glimmer put a hand on both their shoulders. In a split second, Catra was no longer standing outside the castle but within one of its rooms, and she was slightly nauseous.

“God,” she fought to find her balance. “Give a girl a warning next time.” Unfortunately, she lost the fight and tumbled into a shelf. Bottles of perfume fell to the ground as both her and Adora rubbed their backs.

Glimmer rushed to the bottles and placed them neatly on the shelf. “Please, be careful. These were a gift from Perfuma; they’re made from the pollen of a very rare flower and—oh Adora. Are you okay?” Then she rushed to help Adora recover from Catra’s fall.

“I’m good.” Adora smiled and took a perfume bottle from her friend’s hand and sat it gently on the shelf.

“I’m not,” Catra deadpanned.

A familiar glare overtook Glimmer’s face. “We need to figure out what to do with her before she breaks something else.”

“We should take her to your mom,” Bow said.

“Absolutely not. Mom would freak if she knew I brought another Horde soldier here without asking her first.” She ran a hand through her hair. “She’s going to ground me again!” When she caught Catra sniggering, Glimmer collected herself. “I mean, she wouldn’t react well.”

Bow shrugged his shoulders. “Do you have a better ideas?”

“Well, maybe this First One’s tech has something to do with whatever is happening.” Glimmer gestured to the belt slung around Adora’s shoulder. “Maybe we can figure this out ourselves.”

“The optimism is cute, really, but I’m doubting that,” Catra nodded to the belt, “had anything to do with this.” She waved her bound hands between herself and Adora.

“And what makes you say that?” Adora asked.

Everyone in the room eyed Catra expectantly. “I’m not telling you guys where I got the artifact. We’re on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know.”

“We do need to know if you ever want this,” Adora kicked a nearby stool, “to stop happening. Ow! Why did I do that?”

As both she and Adora nursed their stubbed toes, Catra groaned. “Look, you know how I know the belt didn’t do this?” The group nodded for her to continue. “Because, that tall, blonde, dumbass went into that crystally-ruin-thing, and when she came out, I was feeling her pain. So, if anyone has any idea how this happened, it’s her.”

The room went silent as everyone anticipated who would speak next. Catra was happy to continue venting her frustrations, but that wasn’t going to help her fix whatever had happened. A dull look of shock was glued to Bow’s face, Adora’s confused gaze was somewhere else, but Glimmer was primed to explode.

“What did you call her?” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Woah, woah, Glimmer, calm down,” came Bow’s fruitless attempt at soothing her.

“No, I want to hear her say it again.”

Catra resisted the urge to chuckle at the outburst. “A tall. Blonde. Dumbass.”

“How dare you! Adora is a great person, and I’m sure if she had anything to do with this, she would’ve already told us. Besides, why would she want to stay linked to some arrogant jerk like you?”

“Glimmer please calm down,” Bow cooed again.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up on Adora meeting your expectations. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she just up and left one day.”

Glimmer balled up her fists and stomped towards Catra. “You little—”

“I went inside the citadel?” Every head in the room turned to the sound of Adora’s voice. She looked straight at Catra. “You’re sure you saw me go in there?”

“Positive. You hung out in there for about twenty minutes and then came right out and got captured.”

“And you’re the only one who saw her go in there? Likely story.” Glimmer backed off of Catra and walked towards her bedroom door. “I’m going to go recharge and think. When I come back, she’ll tell us where she got that First One’s tech and how to use it.” She threw open the door and stopped dead in her tracks. “M-Mom!”

Queen Angella released a small yawn and glared at her daughter. “What on earth are you yelling about? It’s the middle of the night! You shouldn’t even be up at this hour; you know we have a strategy meeting in the—by the First Ones! Is that a Horde soldier? Glimmer!”

“Oops,” Glimmer squeaked.

Many exasperated groans and hasty apologies later, the group found themselves settled on cushions and chairs in Glimmer’s room as Angella paced back and forth in front of them, massaging her temples.

“So, you found a Horde soldier in the woods again. And you brought her to Bright Moon to ask for my help because her and Adora developed some form of magical link that forces them to share each other’s ailments. Is that correct?”

The other nodded while Catra suppressed a giggle. What a pleasure it was to see the famed archer, leader of the heralded Princess Alliance, and legendary Princess of Power cower in the presence of one woman.

“And she was in possession of a First One’s artifact. May I see it?”

Glimmer held the belt out to her mother. “I’m really sorry. I was totally going to tell you all about it when you woke up.”

“Hmm.” Angella ignored her daughter and examined the artifact carefully. “I can’t determine whether or not this caused it but, wait. Is this a button?”

Catra jumped to her feet. “No, don’t press that!”

The tell-tale red clouded She-Ra’s runestone, as Catra became incredibly tired.

“Whatever is the matter with her?” Angella set the belt aside to watch Catra struggle to stay on her feet.

“Glimmer, your mom’s really tall,” Adora whispered.

“I know that. What is up with you?”

As Adora fell limp in her chair Bow locked eyes with her sword. “Uh, Glimmer, the sword.”

 “Oh, not again. Mom, press the button.”

The button clicked just as Catra lost her balance and collapsed to the opalescent floor. “Ow,” both her and Adora said before Catra scrambled back to her cushion. “If you could not press that again that would be great.”

“How interesting.” Angella gazed at the belt. “Where did you get this?”

Catra readied a snarky response but Glimmer cut her off. “I think I know where. Dryl.” Her voice softened as she cast a glance at the floor. “That’s the tech we destroyed when we rescued Entrapta. It made her robots go crazy and try to kill us. And it made She-Ra lose it, and Adora, well, you saw.”

Adora’s body tensed. “Where did you get that tech, Catra?”

“I told you. Need to know—“

Adora slammed a fist onto an ivory end table. “Cut the act and tell us.”

“It doesn’t matter. At least not at the moment.” Everyone looked up to see Angella handing the belt to Bow. “Keep this, see what you can determine from it.” She walked to Catra and Adora and reached a hand out for both of them. Adora obliged but the other shrunk back against the wall. “Do you want to fix this or not?” Her eyes did not leave Catra’s as she spoke, and she wondered if the immortal queen needed to blink. That gaze was a lot more intimidating then Catra had originally thought. There was something commanding in it that saw straight through her. Maybe the others had been right to cower. Catra reluctantly offered her hand. “That’s what I thought.” Queen Angella took both girls’ hands and closed her eyes. A halo of light appeared around her, and Catra felt a cool sensation wash over her entire being. The two shared a shiver before the feeling vanished. The halo slowly faded away, and Angella opened her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t fix whatever has happened here.”

She gave their hands a reassuring squeeze, and Catra pulled hers back in response. “So, you can’t fix it, and you don’t even know what’s wrong with us. Some immortal queen you are,” she said, rubbing her wrist against the restraints.

Bow placed a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder as her face contorted in annoyance. Silently, Catra wondered if her face would get stuck like that.

“You did the best you could, your majesty. That’s all we—” Adora cast sidelong glance at Catra, “all I could ask.”

A warm smile spread across Angella’s face. “Thank you, Adora. But I do have one alternative. You should travel to Mystacor. There, Head Sorceress Castaspella can evaluate the situation further. Perhaps, she knows of magic that can solve this. I can tell you this: I do not believe this device to be the root of the issue. The magical aura I’m sensing from you both, whatever link you share, it’s entirely different from that of this artifact.”

“Great more magic,” groaned Catra.

“But we shouldn’t count it out entirely, right?” Glimmer asked her mother while staring directly at Catra.

“No, obviously she’s doing something nefarious with it. I will look into it as much as I can, but I trust you all to get to the heart of this. Now rest up, and no more yelling.” The door closed with a soft click as the queen disappeared down the hallway

“You heard her. Let’s get some sleep,” Glimmer said. “And I’ll have a guard throw that one in a box or something until morning.”

“A box?” Catra chuckled. “Real high tech security measures.”

By box, Glimmer meant a cubical cage fortified with magic, as Catra realized moments later. The guards escorted her to the brightly lit dungeon and shoved her in a cell. It was entirely barren, aside from a cot in the far corner of the small room that Catra found much too fluffy to get comfortable in. Instead, she curled up on the floor, face in her hands to shield her from the light pouring into every corner of the room. A part of her missed the oppressive atmosphere of the Fright Zone: how her shadow stretched the length of every hallway, how the furniture stood unyielding and rigid, and how no matter the lighting the darkness always lingered. Another part of her felt lighter, like she had just emerged from a smoke-clouded room and could finally breathe clean air. But she pushed that part away; she had to find a way out of this and return to the Horde. She’d already tried everything in her power to escape the cage, and each attempt resulted in magic shoving her against a wall and the guards laughing as she hissed. But she took solace in knowing Adora wouldn’t be getting a good night’s sleep either. At least she had managed to claw through the rope bindings on her wrists, but it didn’t help her escape attempt. Somehow, she needed to get a message to Scorpia and Entrapta, but constant watch from the sparkly trio was going to make that difficult. For now, her plan was to wait and see. Luckily, she was getting used to waiting.

The tap of metal against the bars of her cell woke Catra from her shallow slumber. “Rise and shine. Get up. You’re leaving.” A guard touched his spear to the cage and the door opened.

Outside the castle, Glimmer and Bow were chatting idly. The pair of guards announced themselves and pushed Catra forward.

Glimmer smiled at the guards. “Thanks, guys. Wait, why are your hands free?”

“Did you really expect rope to secure me? Hello, I have claws.” Her claws sparkled as she brandished them for Glimmer.

“Of course. Claws! How did I forget she has claws?” Glimmer muttered to herself. “Guards, cuffs, please. Thank you.” She wrestled with a shiny pair of handcuffs and Catra’s wrists before they clicked into place. “Try clawing your way out of that one.”

Catra was not one to reject a challenge. She tried clawing at the mechanism keeping them together, but there didn’t seem to be one. “They’re magic aren’t they.”

No response came from Glimmer, just a satisfied smile.

As Catra fiddled some more with the handcuffs, the sound of wings flapping caught their attention. In the distance a figure Catra recognized from her last visit to Bright Moon came soaring through the clouds: the flying horse. It landed beside them, and Adora dismounted, her shoulders sagging.

“Where were you?” Bow asked.

“We were on a search for the First One’s citadel in the Whispering Woods. Strangely, it is nowhere to be found.”

“Did that horse just talk?” Catra’s mouth hung agape.

“Here we go again. Let’s just run through this quickly shall we? Hi, my name is Swift Wind, herald of the revolution! Here to unshackle the masses from the heavy chains of oppression. Also, I’ve known how to speak for like, a month now so it’s old news at this point.”

“You’ve had a talking horse all this time? How?”

Glimmer rolled her eyes. “You said the citadel is missing? How is that possible?”

“I flew all around the woods, and it’s just gone without a trace. Like it was never there,” Adora said.

“Flying horses and disappearing buildings. I’m dreaming right? Someone pinch me,” groaned Catra.

Glimmer reached a hand out for Catra’s arm but dropped it when Adora shook her head.

“So, Swift Wind, you coming with us to Mystacor?” Bow asked.

“I suppose. Queen Angella is still considering my request to free the horses in her stables, so I have some free time.”

“Alright, adventure! C’mon squad, whose ready to cure a curse?”

“Is he always like this,” Catra muttered to Swift Wind.

“You get used to it.”

Adora mounted Swift Wind and led the group away from the palace, beginning their trek to Mystacor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Apologies for how irregularly I'm updating this. My goal is to finish this fic up before season 2 is released, so expect regular updates until then. Next chapter will be out later in the week, and as always, thanks for reading!

“Are we there yet?” Catra asked after what must have been the second hour of their journey to Mystacor. She was getting tired of trudging around on foot while Adora led the party on her chatty horse. 

“We’ll get there when we get there,” said Glimmer. 

“Aren’t you a princess? Don’t you have stables full of horses, how come only she gets a horse?”

“A horse’s aid is not to be demanded. It must be given over freely,” Swift Wind replied with a look back at Catra.

“So, did no horses want offer their aid to the one person in this group that doesn’t wear shoes?”

Bow scratched his head. “Hmm, now that I think about it, why don’t we ever ride horses?”

“We make this trip on foot all the time! We will get there when we get there.” Glimmer shoved Catra forward. “Just walk a little faster.”

“Sure, I’ll walk faster. It’s not like my feet are aching and my legs are going numb. Walking faster, yeah, sounds like a great idea.”

Swift Wind whinnied as Adora brought him to a stop. “Catra, hop on,” she said without looking back. 

“What?” Catra couldn’t imagine why Adora would want them to be any closer than absolutely necessary, but she couldn’t read her face. 

“Hop on. Your feet are killing me.”

“Wait, she gets to ride on the horse?” Glimmer voice grew higher in pitch. “Why does she get to ride the horse?”

“This horse has a name,” Swift Wind said, lowering himself so Catra could climb on.

“Yeah, Glimmer. I thought you made this trip on foot all the time?” Despite Swift Wind’s help, Catra struggled to get on with her cuffed wrists. Adora reluctantly gave her a hand. As Swift Wind stood to his full height, Catra felt her stomach drop. “Woah.”

“What, have you never ridden a horse before?” Glimmer smirked.

“Well, Adora had never even seen a horse before, so it only follows that—” Bow stopped speaking when Glimmer gave him a sharp shake of her head.

Catra returned Glimmer’s smirk. “I learn fast, sparkles.” She sat up confidently as Swift Wind began moving. This was fine, she thought, it’s just like being in a tank. A really unstable, talking tank.   
Once Catra was situated, Swift Wind trotted forward, walking a bit further ahead of the Glimmer and Bow than he had before.

“So, how’d you sleep?” Adora asked in a voice much too joyful for Catra’s liking.

No part of Catra wanted to engage in small talk with Adora. “On the floor.”

“There wasn’t a bed in the cell?”

“Why are you doing this?” 

“Doing what?” 

“Talking to me like I didn’t try to kidnap you.”

Adora sighed and dropped her cheerful posture. “Trust me. Taking to you is not something I’m thrilled about.”

“Yet here you are, still yapping away.”

“I just had a question. What you said last night in the woods, was any of it true? Did all that stuff with you and Shadow Weaver actually happen?”

Some part of Catra wanted to brag about her victory over Shadow Weaver, but the smarter part of her thought better of it. “Obviously not, it was the bait and you fell for it.”

“So, Hordak doesn’t know that you let me go.” 

“No, not that you care.”

“I do care, Catra.” 

“Well, you shouldn’t.”

They made the rest of the trip in silence until Adora brought Swift Wind to a stop half an hour later. In unison, the group released a sigh of relief, all except Catra who looked ahead of them in confusion. They stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking an endless valley. It was as though a chasm had ripped through the earth and released a thick bundle of ivory clouds. What Catra didn’t see was any sign of civilization. Whatever Mystacor was didn’t seem to be here. She looked to the others, but they showed no dismay. Glimmer and Bow continued forward and without a look back, jumped into the clouds. 

“At least I won’t have to hear her giggle anymore,” Catra muttered under her breath. 

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Adora said before steering Swift Wind off the cliff and into the foggy chasm below.

“Woah! What are you doing?” Catra braced herself the best she could to prepare for what she knew would be an endless fall. 

Swift Wind spread his broad wings, and they dove through the powder white sky. 

“This isn’t right,” Adora said.

“You’re telling me.” 

“The island’s gone.” 

“There’s supposed to be an island?”

“Bow! Glimmer!” Adora called into the abyss.

“We’re over here!” came a muffled voice from somewhere deep in the clouds. 

Swift Wind took off towards the sound, the inertia of their flight almost sending Catra flying off the horse’s back. Soon, she could see the vague outline of land in the distance. Then rolling hills of grass and bright flowers came into view. Finally, she saw Glimmer and Bow waving at them from a grassy cliff. 

“Are you guys alright?” Adora asked as they landed.

“Other than almost falling to our deaths I’d say it’s a good day,” Bow said.

“Glimmer, is that you?” an excited voice called from behind them. The group turned to see a regally dressed woman running towards them.

“Aunt Casta? What’s going on? The island’s missing.” Glimmer asked. 

Castaspella embraced Glimmer before responding. “You didn’t tell me you were coming,” she cooed as she squeezed her niece. “How have you been.”

Glimmer fixed her now tousled hair and glared at a chuckling Catra. “I’ve been better. What’s up with the island?”

“Oh, everything around here’s been going haywire since that awful storm. The floating island fell into the bottomless abyss, and we haven’t found a way to, well, float it back up. And all the sorcerers practicing ice magic have terrible colds. Don’t get me started on the enchanted knives in the kitchen. But don’t worry, we’ll have it all under control soon enough.”

“I could use an enchanted knife right about now,” Catra muttered under her breath.

The sorceress seemed to notice Catra’s presence for the first time. She smiled broadly at her. “Glimmer, why you didn’t tell me you had a new friend? I would’ve knitted her a sweater.”

Both Catra and Glimmer held a similar look of disgust on their faces. “A sweater?” Catra asked.

“I knit other things too. Scarves, hats…”

“I got socks!” Bow added to which Castaspella nodded emphatically.

“It’s good to see you again, Bow.” She looked at Adora, and her grin instantly dropped. “And, you brought this one back. Is she here to destroy another millennium’s worth of sacred text?” Adora practically jumped out of her skin. “Just kidding,” she said as the smile returned to her face. “I knitted you a sweater!” With a flourish, she pulled out a frilly, blue sweater with Adora’s name hand-stitched across it. 

An equally bright smile lit Adora’s face. “Thank you so much.” Her eyes sparkled as she gingerly took the sweater. “I love it.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Head Sorceress. My name is Swift Wind, and I’m quite partial to leg warmers.”

“Did that horse just talk?” 

“Yes, the horse talks.” Glimmer pushed Swift Wind out of the way and stepped in front of her aunt. “We’re kind of here on important business,” she started. 

“We need your help, Head Sorceress,” Adora continued. Castaspella released Glimmer and gave Adora her full attention. When Adora finished detailing their predicament, the sorceress tilted her head and scanned the ground in thought.

“How interesting. And Angella thinks I can help? Well, that’s a first.” She paused for a moment, rubbing her chin. Then her eyes lit up. “Follow me.”

Castaspella led the group deep into Mystacor past extravagant buildings and busy sorcerers. The grand architecture they passed only confused Catra, since it seemed they weren’t entering any of the towering structures whose pearly finishes drew her eye. No, instead they entered a plain concrete building that barely seemed to be holding together. It was overgrown with grass and moss, which Castaspella promptly blew away with a wave of her hand. Enough of the foliage parted to reveal an opening to the building’s pitch-black depths. The head sorceress ushered them inside, and the plants regrew behind them. 

The small light Glimmer produced didn’t help Catra determine what the room could possibly be. There were rows of crystals lining the walls and sets of drawers in rows around them. When Castaspella flipped a switch, a much brighter light revealed that the space was larger than it appeared from the outside. It was a sizeable chamber packed with endless rows of silver drawers. The illumination also displayed the sheer amount of crystals in the space; they weren’t only lining the walls but the ceiling too. And as Catra looked down, she saw they were embedded in the floor as well.

“What is this place?” Glimmer asked, examining the crystals.

“An archive. A very old one. If whatever is happening to you two has a magical cause, it will be here. Somewhere.” Castaspella walked along the perimeter of the room, eyeing the crystals on the walls and floor. 

“Don’t archives usually have records?” Catra asked. 

“Yes, can’t you see them? The crystals.” 

Catra gazed around in a slight daze. Perhaps there was some truth to Entrapta’s doubts about the Horde’s technology.

“Let’s see. Connection spells? No, that’s too broad. Linking curses? That could be it. Magical ties? Ah, yes, here it is.” The sorceress looked up at the ceiling, and a crystal dropped into her hand. She examined its surface. “It seems like a sort of intertwining spell. Gets your energies intersecting like cross stitch. It’s a pretty powerful curse, someone of significant strength did this.”

“Like someone with access to First One’s tech?” Glimmer asked. Catra didn’t need to look to know she was staring at her.

The sorceress tilted her head and considered this. “Well, they did have unimaginable power, so it’s possible.”

“Besides that, can you fix it,” Catra asked.

“I sure can!”

Catra released a grateful sigh. “Thank god someone in this rebellion knows what they’re doing.” 

“But you all will have to do something first.”

“Damnit.”

Castaspella rummaged through some drawers and pulled out a thin, silver wand. The metal surface reflected every light in the room, but the five stones embedded in it did not. Despite the ample light, the stones remained grey and dull. “This wand is a modified First One’s artifact. It is capable of holding enough power to break this spell, but it has to be charged.”

“Charged? How?” Adora asked with eyes fixated on the wand.

“Runestones. Five different ones. You just need to ask the princess the stone belongs to if you can borrow its power and charge it up.” Castaspella offered the wand to Adora who took it carefully.

“And when we get to the stone, what do we do? Just wave it around?” Adora waved the wand for emphasis.

“Both of you stand close enough to the stone to draw out its power, and it should work fine. You’ll know it worked when one of the gems on the wand lights up.”

“This is so much work! Isn’t your stupid sword supposed to be magical? Why can’t you just fix it?” Catra shot a glare at Adora’s sword.

“Unfortunately, the single stone in Adora’s sword doesn’t have enough power for this spell. It’s not even strong enough to power a single gem in the wand. You need to visit five runestones and charge the wand to full power. It’s the only way.”

“Sounds like a bunch of magical horseshit to me but fine,” said Catra.

“I beg your pardon?” Swift Wind asked.

“So, charge the wand at five runestones, and we’re good. That’s it?” Glimmer interjected.

“That’s it. Then bring it back to me, and I’ll break the spell.”

“Great! That’s totally doable.” Bow said with a burst of optimism. “We’ve already got the moonstone at Bright Moon. Then the heart blossom and pearl shouldn’t be a problem. The fractal flake could pose an issue since Frosta’s a little cold.” He glanced at the others expectantly. “Get it? A little cold?”

Castaspella smiled brightly and chuckled. “You just earned another pair of socks.”

Bow crossed his arms in smug satisfaction.

“That just leaves one more. Where are we going to find the fifth runestone?” Glimmer’s shoulders drooped as she realized the answer to her question. The rest of the group did as well, and they all stared at one another waiting to see who would speak up first.

Finally, Catra broke the silence. “We have to go to the black garnet.”


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed as though some cosmic force was making Catra’s life into a painfully ironic joke.

Here she was standing in the heart of the Rebellion, side by side with its leaders, face to face with the magical source of the entire kingdom, and unable to do anything but wait. But she was learning to make the most of waiting. 

Since their return from Mystacor the previous day, Catra had been scheming a way to make this situation work in her favor. If she could get a message to the Horde, Entrapta and Scorpia could organize an escape attempt. But the web she was weaving grew even wider than simple escape plans. The new colleagues she was now forced into working with had to take her to all the major cities of the Rebellion. They had no choice but to march her to the pillars of their entire operation, and it would be her great pleasure to cut each of them down and bring the petty resistance tumbling with them. Silently, she devised a new mission: play prisoner with the garish trio for as long as it took to break the spell; document the inner workings of every single Rebellion city they visited; and upon returning to the Fright Zone for the final runestone, rid herself of this gang of fools and share her intel with Hordak as an explanation for her absence. Of course, she had to fine tune the details. She was constantly wearing magical handcuffs and never let out of anyone’s site. But Catra was nothing if not resourceful and conniving; she’d wormed her way out of tighter spots. 

Coming up with a method to alert the Horde was second on her agenda. First was seeing if that batty sorceress knew what she was talking about. Her bumbling new allies and Queen Angella were gathered around an enormous lilac stone pulsing with magic and light. Adora pulled the wand from her pocket and presented it to the queen. 

Eyeing the wand in Adora’s hand, Angella nodded to Adora and Catra. “Go ahead,” she said, her voice soft and calm. “You may borrow the power of the moonstone.” She stepped back next to her daughter and Bow who were silent in anticipation.

“I don’t really know how this works; the head sorceress wasn’t all that clear,” Adora said as she turned the silver wand over in her hands. “Should we hold hands?”

“Oh, yes,” Catra said, a bit sincerer than she intended. “While we’re at it, let’s burst into song!”

Adora crossed her arms. “You want me to slap myself again?”

“Fine.” Catra jutted her hands out to Adora and cast her gaze to the floor. “Make it quick.”

As their hands met, a familiar chill ran through Catra’s spine, one she suppressed as soon as it came. Adora’s eyes darted from Angella to the moonstone before she shrugged and held the wand towards the stone. 

“Uh, please moonstone will you charge this wand?”

“Why are you talking to it?” Catra asked as she looked up to glare at Adora.

Adora’s nostrils flared as she stared daggers into the runestone. “I’m trying to get it to charge the wand,” she snapped.

“I don’t think the giant chunk of rock is listening to you.”

“Well, do you have any better ideas?” 

Adora turned her attention away from the stone to Catra, and as their eyes met, Catra felt a wave of calm wash over her. For a moment, everything in her vision faded to black. All she could see were the pair of blue eyes piercing back at her from the darkness. All she heard was her heart pushing blood through her veins. All she felt was the gentle hand clasping her own. When she settled in that feeling and the comfort that came with it, a sliver of purple descended from the blackness and wrapped her in a string of light. The darkness lifted, and the first things she saw were a dazed Adora, the outstretched wand in one of her hands, and other hand entwined with her own. Catra yanked her bound hands away immediately and shuffled away from Adora.

“Well, did it work?” Catra asked.

Her voice snapped Adora out of her reverie. “It did,” she said as she studied the wand. A single gem was shining in a lilac glow. 

“How fascinating,” came Queen Angella’s voice, reminding Catra that the others were still present in the room.

“You guys were like a magical light show,” Bow said in amazement.

Glimmer shrugged. “I guess it was pretty cool.”

Catra chanced a look at Adora who was still gazing at the wand. When she looked up and met Catra’s stare, a subtle blush tinted her cheeks. It was unlikely anyone else noticed, but Catra did.

“One down,” Adora said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Four to go.”

“If we leave right now, we’ll make Plumeria by the end of the day,” Glimmer said.

“Yeah, it should be in and out. Charge that wand, impress the townspeople with our cool new magic trick, and head back here for celebratory snacks,” Bow added.

“The sooner we fix this mess the better,” Catra said as she brushed past Queen Angella towards the exit.

Mercifully, the trip to Plumeria was not as arduous as their journey to Mystacor. Despite the fact that Swift Wind did not accompany them on this trip since “The quest for liberty takes time,” Catra was particularly energetic today. Perhaps, it was because of how soundly she’d slept the night before with the visions of her new plan lulling her to sleep. Also unlike the last trip, Catra had no trouble knowing when they’d entered Plumeria. The flora of the region was incredibly distinct from anything she’d seen in the Whispering Woods. It was just as obnoxiously colored, though. Aromas were emanating off the various flowers they passed, yet none overpowered the other. All of the fragrances melded together and filled the air with an inviting scent. A particular fruit tree caught Catra’s attention. The bright yellow apples smelled of something sweet and familiar. And although the pinks and reds filling the forest were overwhelming, Catra thought she wouldn’t mind getting lost here. In her mind, she made a note to preserve the fruit trees when she marched her army through the forest. 

As they neared the village, the plant life grew denser and harder to navigate. Catra had to watch her step as to not trip over the thick branches protruding from the forest floor. The group emerged through the trees to see a small village. Tents of all sizes were scattered about the region, but they all appeared abandoned. Tall grass and tree limbs had overtaken the small hovels. Baskets of food were strewn about the ground. 

“What happened here?” Adora asked, pausing to take in the desolate scene. 

The group slowly maneuvered through the mess of weeds and vines netted over the village and examined the overturned tents. Tangled beneath some foliage, Catra noticed a large, fallen statue. The figure looked familiar, and as she came closer to it, she knew precisely why. The tell-tale ponytails revealed a monument to Entrapta. That explained a lot to Catra, namely that the princess’s former friends had presumed her dead. Catra made a mental note to spare Entrapta that detail; despite their reasons for abandoning her, she was better in the Horde. Besides, no one in the Rebellion had appreciated her enough to come back and double check. 

Other than the statue and empty tents, there weren’t many other things of interest in the tiny settlement. To Catra’s displeasure, there wasn’t even a runestone. A giant oak covered in moss sat in the back of the village, but it held no stone. 

“This doesn’t seem right. Where did everyone go?” Bow asked. 

Catra gestured to the moss-covered tree. “More importantly, where’s the heart-blossom?” 

Bow turned to her with an uncharacteristic glare on his face. “The missing people are what’s important here.”

“But the heart-blossom could be connected,” Adora pondered. She studied the tree and attempted to brush some of the moss away. “It won’t come off. We’ll have to cut it.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” asked Glimmer. “What if Perfuma covered up the tree to protect the heart-blossom from whatever got the villagers? You might hurt it.”

“Oh please,” Catra groaned as she marched forward. “It’s a rock. I’m sure it’ll be fine if we cut this grass off.” She brandished her claws and slashed into the moss. It parted, revealing a sliver of shining stone. “Told you.”

Adora used her sword to remove the rest of the moss, and eventually, the entire heart-blossom was revealed. When the last of the moss fell, the group stepped back from the tree, mouths agape in horror. 

“This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all,” Bow said under his breath.

The runestone was pulsing with blood red light, the same corrupting red Catra had watched engulf She-Ra’s sword mere days ago. It stared back at them, tauntingly, as vines and moss began to swallow it once more.

“What did you do?” came a hollow, robotic voice from behind them. 

The group turned to see Princess Perfuma, standing atop a coil of vines, glaring down at them with deep, red eyes. Her hair was a nest of weeds and twigs, her once pristine floral dress torn and fraying. She raised her arms above her head, and a tangle of vines swiftly surrounded the others, grasping at their ankles like serpents. 

Her voice rang through the forest like a somber bell. “You must leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look, i'm alive! 
> 
> hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if anyone would like to hassle me to update this or if you just want to shoot around theories about season 2 my tumblr is: twolesbiansinatrenchcoat 
> 
> see you next chapter and as always, thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

The sight of a crazed princess—eyes the color of blood, clothed in shredded rags, and practically foaming at the mouth—was very familiar to Catra. It was not all dissimilar to the images she’d conjured in her mind as a child, when Shadow Weaver crafted petrifying stories of the violent princesses she’d one day have to defeat. The first princess she’d encountered was rather disappointing for more reasons than failing to live up to her childhood nightmares. 

Catra watched as Adora’s hand instinctively settled on the hilt of her sword. “Perfuma! It’s your friends. We’re here to help.”

“Yeah, we just want to talk,” Bow pleaded as vine snaked around his leg.

The princess’s eyes briefly returned to their normal hue. “Bow?” she said in a voice more like her own. The flurry of vines around her relaxed. “I’m sorry,” she breathed in an almost inaudible voice. As soon as the words left her mouth, she resumed her onslaught, her eyes glowing red once more. 

“I don’t think talking’s gonna help,” Catra said.

A barrage of vines came flying towards them, and the four looked to one another expectantly. Adora acted first, unsheathing her blade and thrusting it into the sky. The others followed suit. Glimmer teleported Bow out of the vines grasp as he nocked an arrow. 

“You two cover me, I’m going to figure out what’s up with that runestone,” She-Ra said to the group. She looked down at Catra, an indecipherable expression on her face. “And you, come with me.”

Catra reluctantly clawed away the vines entangling her ankles and followed Adora back to the heart-blossom. An arrow narrowly missed her face as Bow fired towards a vine. 

“Sorry!” he called.

Catra simply shook her head and looked to She-Ra. “What now? Can’t you do sword magic on this thing or something?”

She-Ra ducked under an incoming vine before responding. “I can try, but first we have to figure out what did this. Last time something like this happened, it was First One’s tech, need I remind you.”

“Well, your friend in the crop top stole my belt and your friend in the dress handcuffed me.” With each word, Catra’s voice rose in volume both to be heard over the sounds of fighting and to make her point very clear. “So why don’t you tell me how any of this could possibly be my fault?”

“Someone had to give you that tech, and since you won’t tell me who it was, you’re going to help me figure out how to fix this.” She-Ra sliced away the moss once again. 

Catra jumped out of the way of an incoming vine. “I didn’t make the damn thing. You and I both know I’m not an engineer.”

“But you used it. Come on, you have to have some idea of what it would’ve taken to do something similar.”

The conversation she’d had with Entrapta at the start of this mission flashed in Catra’s mind. As usual with the inventor’s ramblings, most of the technojargon had flown over her head, but one particular statement stood out. 

“Whatever did this was powerful, that’s all I know. I don’t think the belt,” she slid out the way of a branch, “would be enough to reverse it.”

“But maybe the sword. I’ve healed runestones before, I’m sure I can do it again,” She-Ra said with a hint of uncertainty.

“Go for it, princess.” 

She-Ra raised her sword towards the heart-blossom, and a stream of light shot out. Where the light met the stone, a hint of pink began to shine through the red. Catra leaned back against a tree as she watched. It was almost nostalgic, she had watched Adora do magic tricks on a runestone a month prior. Except this time, she wouldn’t try to stop her. Yet.

The pink was slowly creeping across the stone, but it would take much longer for it to heal completely. Surely, Catra thought, a princess and an archer could hold off a few flying plants for a while longer; yet that didn’t seem to be the case. She had briefly seen Perfuma fight back in Bright Moon, but this was different. Then the princess had posed a minor threat. Trip you with some vines, slap you with some flowers. But now? Now, she was fearsome. Tree roots were ripping from the ground and mixing into her network of vines and branches. She had amassed them all into even larger limbs that swung wildly about the small space. The longer the fight went on, the more flora she amassed for her tendrils. If it didn’t stop soon, there would be no place to dodge her attacks.

Despite it all, Glimmer and Bow were still fighting their best, but they were careful not to injure Perfuma. This infuriated Catra, who so desperately wanted the crazed plant woman to take one of Glimmer’s magic spheres to the face. But she couldn’t exactly fight with no free hands, so she remained at her position next to Adora, occasionally moving to dodge a vine. Soon, it became clear she would need to impose a new strategy. 

Focused on healing the runestone, She-Ra did not notice the tendril slowly slithering behind her. It wormed its way around her feet and pulled her off balance. She struggled to stay standing while repositioning the sword, but it was too late. Another limb wrapped around her waist and yanked her into a tree. 

Catra cried out, “Adora!” without thinking. Her back ached with throbbing pain. “Glimmer, get these damn cuffs off of me.”

“Absolutely,” Glimmer choked out after dodging two incoming vines, “not.”

“Adora’s hurt.” The warmth Catra felt tinting her cheeks made her revise that statement. “Not that I care, but if she dies, I’m screwed. You and arrow boy aren’t making much progress. You need the help. Get the fucking cuffs off.”

There was a lull in Glimmer’s attacks as she contemplated Catra’s words. A second later, she appeared next to Catra and removed the handcuffs without a word and returned to the fight.

Vindication rose in Catra, and she rued the fact that she couldn’t take this golden opportunity to flee. She needed Adora for now, so she hurried to her side and cut away the vines entangling her. 

“Now get up and fix that stone.” 

When Adora reclaimed her place in front of the heart-blossom, Catra stood between her and the growing number of tree limbs coming for them. The individual vines weren’t difficult to fend off; the sheer number of them was the problem. But it was much easier with her hands free. Dodging came more natural to Catra than attacking. She was light on her feet, graceful leaps and turns kept her just out of Perfuma’s reach. She took advantage of this immediately. Leaping out of the way at just the right moment meant the vines reaching for her became knotted together. With more of them consolidated, they were much easier to strike. It seemed also, that this made them better targets for Bow’s arrows and Glimmer’s magic. The three of them were an efficient team, but Perfuma was relentless. 

Just when the flurry of flora was almost too much to run from, a bright pink light flashed behind them. Catra turned to see She-Ra sheathing her sword, the fully healed heart-blossom pulsing behind her with a warm, rosy light. The branches and vines collapsed as Princess Perfuma fell gracelessly to the vine-covered floor. Glimmer and Bow ran over to her, and Adora, now back to her normal self, moved to follow them. Before she could leave, Catra cleared her throat.

“Are we forgetting something?” she said, gesturing to the heart-blossom.

“It can wait until we know she’s okay.” 

“What if she tries to kill us again?”

Adora looked almost insulted at the question, she ignored Catra and ran to Perfuma’s side.

Princess Perfuma’s normally upbeat temperament was nowhere to be found. The defeated girl laying on the ground with her dirt-covered dress pooled around her bore no resemblance to the bright, happy princess Catra had encountered before. But luckily, she was also not the crazed monster that’d attacked them mere seconds ago. 

“Adora,” Perfuma said softly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Dazed, like I just woke up from a dream, but I don’t remember what it was about. I think I need to lie down.” Perfuma rested her head on Glimmer’s knee and her eyes fluttered shut.

“Wait,” Bow said to her. “We’ll let you rest but first, do you know who did that to the heart-blossom?”

“Did what?”

“That.” He helped Perfuma sit up and nodded to the tangle of vines shrouding the forest. 

Her eyes grew wide. “What happened here? I didn’t—no, that can’t be.” 

“Oh, you definitely did,” Catra said, standing back from the group. “Tried to kill us and everything.”

Everyone but Perfuma shot Catra reproving glares. 

Soft whimpers came from Perfuma as she buried her head in her hands. “No, I would never. I wouldn’t.”

“It wasn’t you. Someone corrupted the heart-blossom,” Glimmer said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Who would’ve done that?”

“I wonder,” Glimmer muttered to herself.

“Perfuma, what exactly do you remember?” Bow asked.

“It’s all a little fuzzy but, I remember I had just finished checking up on Plumeria’s trees. We were making sure everything was recovering okay from the storm. Then we all gathered in the center of the village to discuss the recovery effort. We were going to ship supplies of food to the villages around the Plumeria that were struggling from the Horde attack. After that, there’s nothing. It’s all black.”

“Do you remember what happened to your people? Maybe they evacuated after things got,” Adora cast a glance around the overgrown forest, “bad.”

“Oh no.” Perfuma pushed through the trio of friends around her and scrambled towards the heart-blossom. “Oh, by the First Ones, please say it’s not true,” she murmured under her breath as she went. 

She knelt before the base of the tree where a mass of foliage covered its roots. Her eyes snapped shut, and immediately, the vines and moss shrouding the village floor vanished. After the excess plant life disappeared, Catra realized just what had happened to the missing villagers. All around, men, women, and children were sitting up and dusting grass and leaves off of themselves. They all clambered to their feet and hurried over to Perfuma, asking her questions about her own well-being.

“I’m just fine, it’s you all who got hurt. I’m so sorry this happened. I’m such a terrible princess.”

“No,” a villager close to her said, “you’re not. We all saw what happened to the heart-blossom.”

Another villager spoke up, “He’s right! It wasn’t your fault.”

A chorus of reassurance erupted from the townsfolk, and their princess struggled to hold back tears. Still, she made it a point to apologize to each of them personally. Eventually, the crowd dispersed to locate their belongings and clean up the village. The trio and a very annoyed Catra gathered around her.

“Are you going to be all right?” Bow asked, his eyes filled with worry.

She nodded shyly. “It’s all over now.”

“No, it’s not.” Glimmer said. “We still have to figure out who did this.” She side-eyed Catra. “My bet is on the Horde.”

Perfuma followed Glimmer’s gaze and asked, “Speaking of, isn’t she with the Horde?” 

“It’s complicated,” Adora answered.

“It’s not,” Catra deadpanned. “I’m with the Horde, but right now we have an unfortunate alliance.”

“We’re breaking a curse,” Bow added.

Noticing Perfuma’s confused look, Adora launched into the details of their situation. 

“We should get that printed on a notecard or something,” Bow said once she’d finished.

“So, you need to use the heart-blossom? Go ahead, it’s the least I can do to repay you all.”

Adora and Catra flanked by Glimmer and Bow followed Perfuma to the heart-blossom. Catra begrudgingly took Adora’s hand and watched as she held the wand towards the runestone. There was a brief moment when it felt as though nothing was happening, but soon that familiar comforting aura washed over Catra. Her world went black again with only Adora’s eyes cutting through the darkness. The feelings that came over her were much the same as before, but slightly different. She felt the calloused skin of the hand in hers, and the touch awakened a trove of memories she was failing to force down. Her heartbeat blared in her ears, her pulse quickening. And now there was the faint smell of fruit trees blossoming in springtime. She breathed in the scent, a small smile tugging on her face, and a sliver of pink light followed. As it descended from the darkness, the aroma grew until it was the only sense she could focus on. Her eyes fluttered open, blinding her with daylight. She released Adora’s hand and shook her head, though the faint scent of fruit still hung in the air.

“I have no idea what just happened, but it looked really nice,” Perfuma’s voice cut through the silence.

“And it looks like it worked,” Glimmer added with a nod to the wand. Another gem was shining, this one with a soft pink.

“Yeah, I guess it did,” Adora said under her breath. “We should head back to Bright Moon.”

“Oh, could I ask just one favor?” Perfuma asked, her eyes sparkling.

Catra looked her right in the eyes. “No.” 

“Of course, what’s the favor?” Glimmer asked.

“There are some supplies we were supposed to take to the refugees in Thaymor. If you don’t mind…”

Adora ignored Catra’s shaking head. “We’ll take them.”

Soon the group was on the road again, headed towards Thaymor with Perfuma’s supplies in tow. Questions filled Catra’s mind as they went. How did that stone get corrupted, she wondered to herself. And, the most important question, did Entrapta have anything to do with it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's that? a new chapter? do I actually have my life together? will I actually finish this? find out on the next exciting episode of dragon ball z!
> 
> but seriously, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I still haven't watched season 2 but i am determined to finish this damn fic. 
> 
> also, there's an episode this season called ties that bind??? i'm not saying i'm psychic, but i'm not not saying it.
> 
> and just to clarify now that season 2 is out and season 3 is coming soon, my story takes place somewhere between seasons 1 and 2 so nothing post season 1 will be referenced here.
> 
> okay, that's all my notes, enjoy the chapter! it's angsty!

As soon as the small party set foot in Thaymor, Catra wished desperately to be anywhere else.

The village was still very much in ruins. She assumed there had been picturesque cottages and abundant plant life before she led an assault on the town, but it was difficult to tell beneath the rubble. Although, it appeared the survivors had made some attempt at repairing their destroyed homes and scorched fields. Tarps were thrown haphazardly over the buildings that still stood, and a few plots of vegetables and fruits were dotted around the area. But it was far from the bustling community it once was. Refugees were clustered around fires and tents, and adults chatted idly while children played games. Despite their circumstance, they were smiling; and for some odd reason, this made Catra’s stomach turn. A young child looked up at her as she entered the village. He wore clothes clearly too big for him that hung loosely from his small frame. Catra turned away from him, not being able to bare look in his eyes.

Despite the state of the village, sad refugees were not nearly the heaviest thing weighing on her mind as they walked the battered streets of Thaymor. And somehow, Catra knew the same was true for Adora. There was a destroyed Horde tank at the edge of town, and Catra needed no help identifying it. As Bow and Glimmer unloaded crates of supplies, Catra made a beeline for the tank. Adora followed silently, gazing at the spot with a pained look.

Catra stood in front of the abandoned machine, scratching at the rusted metal. The weight on her mind was certainly heavier than every destroyed hunk of metal on this battlefield. 

“Look at all this, Catra,” came Adora’s voice from behind her. She stood in front of the tank in the same spot she had a month before. “All these people, they lost everything. Their homes, their families, they can’t even grow their own food anymore. And everywhere the Horde has touched looks like this,” her eyes panned the village, before settling on Catra. “They’re all innocent.”

“Innocent, huh?” Catra responded without looking away from the tank.

“Yes. They didn’t deserve any of this.”

Somewhere in her mind, a strange feeling was growing. It was unfamiliar and hard to rationalize with all of the other thoughts swirling in her head, but it wouldn’t relent. The wave of emotion was full of anguish and regret. It told her Adora was right, that the refugees of Thaymor were innocent victims, but Catra wasn’t ready to give in to these alien feelings.

“What was so special about these people?” she asked in a calm voice.

“What?” said Adora in a baffled tone.

Catra turned to face Adora and locked eyes with her before saying, “You say they didn’t deserve to be attacked by the Horde. Why is that? Because they covered you in ugly flowers and let you play princess?”

“No,” Adora replied, shaking her head in frustration. “These are just civilians, not soldiers. This isn’t their war. It shouldn’t be anyone’s war. I don’t know how to make you understand that.”

The wave of feelings grew stronger and more difficult to ignore, but Catra was prepared to fight back with an even stronger emotion: rage.

“Oh, I understand perfectly. Where was this concern for saving the innocent the rest of our lives Adora? We were innocent. I was innocent. All those times Shadow Weaver messed with our heads, all those times she coddled you and treated me like your lost pet, all those promises you made. Where was this concern then?” It hadn’t been her intent to rant, but the unfamiliar feelings clashing with her own only fueled her anger. “Our whole lives, I was suffering, and you did nothing but use it to keep me in your shadow. But you watch one shitty village collapse, and it’s enough to abandon everything without a second thought.”

It was surprising to Catra, but Adora appeared incredibly shaken by those words. Her voice shook with irritation as she responded, “Catra, I was just a child. I was just doing what I was told. We both were.”

“Spare me the bullshit. Did you really not notice what the Horde was doing all that time, or did you just not care when they were doing it to me?”

“You know that’s not true. If I had known about all of this sooner, I would have left,” Adora said, her brows furrowing.

“And left me there to clean up your mess.”

“Alright, Catra,” she snapped. “Maybe I didn’t pay enough attention to what you were going through. But I gave you a chance to come with me. You didn’t. That’s not my fault.”

At Adora’s words, a new feeling enshrouded Catra’s mind: an overwhelming sense of betrayal.

“You betrayed me, not the other way around,” she blurted out.

“What are you talking about? I never said you betrayed me.”

“But you feel betrayed. I can feel it and it’s suffocating. Can you just stop being so damn sad?”

“Only if you get a handle on your anger. I get it, you’re hurt, but I’m not to blame,” Adora said, her voice growing in volume.

Catra’s head was now a whirlwind of emotions. The sadness, the hurt, the resentment, the betrayal was all blending together in a frenzy. She couldn’t tell which feelings were hers anymore. Was she really this sad? Was all of this Adora’s resentment? Was that a hint of jealousy somewhere? Which of the girls were responsible for the tears streaming down her face?

“No, you don’t get it,” she choked through the sobs she couldn’t control.

“Literally, no one else on the planet gets it more than I do. And trust me,” Adora punched the tank, sending a shock of pain through both of their arms, “it sucks.”

“Well, congratulations because even with a direct line to my fucking head, you still have no idea what I’m going through!” 

Catra marched away from Adora in a huff, shaking and overwhelmed. No matter how far she got from her, the whirlwind persisted, sweeping all of her thoughts and plans into the fray. The tears wouldn’t cease, and her breathing was ragged. At the edge of the machine graveyard, she gave out next to the wreckage of a skiff. Leaning back against the cold metal, she attempted to control her breathing and calm the shaking in her body. It was extremely difficult. To relax her body, she needed to calm her mind, and that did not seem to be feasible. However, something in her peripheral made it much easier. 

There was a console at the front of the skiff. It was mostly destroyed, the screen shattered and electronics ravaged. But the site of it was enough to give Catra an idea. There were dozens of wrecked Horde vehicles in this area, so she stood from her pitiable spot on the ground with a renewed sense of purpose. Scanning the battlefield for more broken machines, she spotted a tank that was less beat up than the others and headed straight for it. Just as she’d hoped, the console was relatively intact, and there was just enough reserve power to light up the screen. She flashed her badge across the screen, producing a tinny beep from the console. The screen changed, but the display was too damaged for her to read any of the text. It didn’t matter. Catra had succeeded in the first step of her plan. The Horde would be alerted that one of their machines went online, and more importantly, that Hordak’s second-in-command had done it. The screen flickered with a pale blue light and went black, the last of the tank’s battery depleted. Catra’s reflection looked back at her from the black screen. She smirked to herself, incredibly satisfied.

Glimmer’s voice in the distance brought Catra to her senses.

“I can’t believe you left her alone out here!”

“I know, but I had to get out of there. So many things were buzzing in my head,” said Adora, sounding more composed than she had during their argument.

Catra stood and faced them both, the smirk still hanging on her lips. “You losers finally ready to go?”

Tonight, Catra’s cell felt more comforting than it had before. It was still cramped and far too bright, but that could do nothing to dull her excitement. Her success at contacting the Horde gave her a sense of optimism she rarely experienced. But she allowed herself to relish in it now, before the morning came and she had to face Adora again. The journey back to Bright Moon had been awkward, to say the very least of it. It was as if a tense thread was pulled taut between her and Adora. Everyone was waiting for it to snap. At least Catra’s emotions had relaxed since their fight. She knew the storm of feelings was still there. She felt it spinning around in the back of her thoughts, but for now, they had taken a backseat to the pride of her accomplishment. Savoring the relative peace in her mind was all Catra was worried about tonight.

That was, until a figure darkened the entrance to her cell. She looked up from her spot on the floor to see Adora wearing the hideous sweater Castaspella had given her. She placed a hand on the exterior of the cage and took a deep breath.

“Can we talk?” Adora asked. Though she spoke softly, she was clearly not as relaxed as she put on. Her hair was askew; her eyes were heavy and glassy, and there was the slightest rasp in her voice.

“Haven’t we done enough of that?” 

Adora paused, gazing down at the floor.

“I don’t think we’ll have ever talked enough.”

The thread between them was fraying at the edges.

“I don’t know what that was today. All those feelings,” Adora trailed off. 

Catra did not respond.

Adora continued, “I guess we’re sharing our emotional pain too. That’s great.”

More silence passed between them, and Adora released a sigh.

“Look, this whole thing is pretty shitty. I don’t know when it’ll be over, but I'm guessing it's not going to get any easier. We’re the only ones that know what we’re going through. I just thought—and maybe it was naïve of me—that we should try to talk about it. We’re in this together, whether we like it or not.”

Silently, Catra stood and walked over to the bars separating them. She wrapped her hands around them, brushing past Adora’s fingertips. 

“We’re not friends, Adora. We don’t need to be. We may be linked together with some magical curse, but that’s it. That’s all we’ll ever be. And when this is over, I won’t hesitate to come for you and your friends. Nothing has changed.”

A moment passed as the two locked eyes. Disappointment clouded Adora’s face. She nodded at Catra, backed away from the cell, and vanished up the stairs. 

Catra curled up on the cold floor, snapped her eyes shut, and let the renewed storm of emotions carry her to a fitful sleep.


End file.
